The present invention relates to cleaning fiber, and more particularly to cleaning fiber in preparation for spinning.
In conventional spinning practice, single fibers are spun and used as basic building blocks in the manufacture of the more complex fiber structures. In use, the fiber is creeled in a spinning frame where it is subjected first to a draft, or attenuation, by which the linear density of the fiber is reduced to a required level, and is then twisted with an amount of twist which depends upon the weight of the fiber and its intended use. The spinning operation is normally carried out on a machine such as a ringframe, a cap-frame or a flyer-frame, in which the rotation of a spindle serves to both insert twist into the fiber and to wind the fiber onto a package carried on the spindle.
In the manufacture of plied fibers (i.e. a two-fold fiber), single fibers are creeled onto a twisting machine such as a ring-twister, where two or more single fibers are creeled for each spindle of the twisting machine. The single fibers are delivered together at a constant speed and are twisted together and wound onto a package by the rotation of the spindle.
Once the fiber has been spun, it can be wound into skeins for storage and transportation purposes. At this point, the fiber is ready for being further processed and/or used to create clothing articles and other consumer goods.
When carrying out the foregoing spinning process, it is important that the fiber be clean. Any particles entangled in the fiber in the initial stages of spinning will inevitably result in defects in the end product. As such, fiber is commonly cleaned before spinning. Often, this is accomplished by manually removing the particles by physically picking them from the fiber. This can often be tedious and laborious. Moreover, many particles that are deeply entangled in the fiber or too small to be noticed may be overlooked, resulting in defects in the end product.
There is thus a need for an improved method and apparatus for facilitating the fiber cleaning process.
A system and method are provided for cleaning fiber. Included is a structure with a basket pivotally coupled thereto. The basket is adapted for receiving fiber therein. In use, particles are removed from the fiber upon rotation of the basket.
In one embodiment, the basket may include an opening for receiving the fiber therein. The basket may have a substantially spherical configuration or a rectangular configuration. Still yet, the basket may include a pair of halves being positionable in an open orientation for inserting and removing fiber therefrom and a closed orientation for securing fiber therein. Further, the basket may be equipped with a fastener for securing the halves in the closed orientation.
As an option, a crank may be coupled to the basket to facilitate the rotation thereof. A blower may also be provided to facilitate the removal of the particles. The basket may include a wire mesh, where the wire mesh defines openings each with an area less than 1 square inch.
In another embodiment, a system and method are provided for cleaning fiber utilizing just a basket for receiving fiber therein, and a blower for blowing the fiber in the basket to remove particles therefrom.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and studying the various figures of the drawings.